Birth Registration of a Minor

Registration of Birth Certificates of Minors Born to Italian Citizens

Law No. 74 of May 23, 2025, converting Decree-Law No. 36 of March 28, 2025, introduced new provisions governing Italian citizenship. These provisions apply to all applications for the registration of birth certificates received by the Consulate General on or after March 28, 2025, the date on which the new legislation entered into force.

Since every application for the registration of a birth certificate necessarily requires verification of the child’s entitlement to Italian citizenship, the new legislation distinguishes between:

• children who qualify for Italian citizenship from birth (jure sanguinis); and
• children who may instead acquire Italian citizenship by operation of law (benefit of law).

The applicable requirements and procedures for both situations are outlined below.

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Registration of a Birth Certificate with Recognition of Italian Citizenship from Birth (Jure Sanguinis)

Conditions for Registration

A child born abroad to an Italian citizen is not automatically recognized as an Italian citizen, unless at least one of the following conditions is met.

CASE A

The parent who is an Italian citizen from birth, and who also possesses another citizenship, resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years at any time before the child’s date of birth;

or

The parent acquired Italian citizenship after birth (for example, through naturalization or another means) and resided in Italy for at least two consecutive years after acquiring Italian citizenship and before the child’s date of birth.

PLEASE NOTE: Residence in Italy prior to acquiring Italian citizenship is not taken into consideration. Likewise, residence in Italy of the non-Italian parent is not considered.

Required Documentation

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CASE B

On the date of the child’s birth, one parent held Italian citizenship exclusively.

IMPORTANT: Self-declarations stating that the parent did not possess any other citizenship are not accepted.

Required Documentation

• Birth Registration Application (Download the form)
• For births that occurred in the United States: the original certified copy of the child’s Long Form (or Extended Form) birth certificate. The certificate must show the exact place of birth, the date of birth/age, and the places of birth of both parents, in accordance with the format issued by the individual U.S. State. The document must be apostilled and accompanied by a complete Italian translation.
• For births that occurred outside the United States: the original certified copy of the child’s birth certificate, duly legalized, together with a complete Italian translation, faithful to the original, also duly legalized. For information regarding legalization requirements, please refer to the website of the Italian Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the country where the birth certificate was issued.
• A photocopy of the valid passport or other valid identification document of both parents and of the child (if already available).

In addition:

• A Certified Copy of the Italian parent’s Birth Record (Copia Integrale dell’Atto di Nascita) issued by the Italian Municipality of birth.
• A Historical Certificate of Residence (Certificato Storico di Residenza) of the Italian parent, issued by any Italian Municipality where the parent resided for at least two consecutive years.
• A valid Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) or a valid U.S. visa authorizing the Italian parent’s stay in the United States (or a U.S. Certificate of Naturalization demonstrating that the parent’s U.S. citizenship was acquired after the child’s date of birth).

The Consulate General reserves the right to request any additional documentation necessary to verify that the Italian parent has not acquired any other foreign citizenship.

For additional information, please read the IMPORTANT section below.

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CASE C

On the date of the child’s birth – or on the date of death, if the grandparent died before the child’s birth – one of the grandparents held Italian citizenship exclusively.

IMPORTANT: In cases where eligibility is based on a grandparent who held Italian citizenship exclusively, the child’s parent must also be an Italian citizen, although not necessarily an exclusive Italian citizen.

Self-declarations stating that the grandparent did not possess any other citizenship are not accepted.

Required Documentation

• Birth Registration Application (Download the form)
• For births that occurred in the United States: the original certified copy of the child’s Long Form (or Extended Form) birth certificate. The certificate must show the exact place of birth, the date of birth/age, and the places of birth of both parents, in accordance with the format issued by the individual U.S. State. The document must be apostilled and accompanied by a complete Italian translation.
• For births that occurred outside the United States: the original certified copy of the child’s birth certificate, duly legalized, together with a complete Italian translation, faithful to the original, also duly legalized. For information regarding legalization requirements, please refer to the website of the Italian Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the country where the birth certificate was issued.
• A photocopy of the valid passport or other valid identification document of both parents and of the child (if already available).

In addition:

• A Certified Copy of the Italian parent’s Birth Record (Copia Integrale dell’Atto di Nascita) issued by the Italian Municipality where the birth was registered.
• A Certified Copy of the Italian grandparent’s Birth Record (Copia Integrale dell’Atto di Nascita) issued by the Italian Municipality where the birth was registered.
• A Historical Certificate of Residence (Certificato Storico di Residenza) of the Italian grandparent, issued by the competent Italian Municipality.
• If the Italian grandparent resided in a foreign country: a certificate issued by the competent authorities of that country, duly apostilled (or legalized by the Italian Consulate/Embassy if the country is not a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention), together with an official Italian translation, certifying that the Italian grandparent did not acquire the citizenship of that foreign country before the birth of the child’s parent.

The Consulate General reserves the right to request any additional documentation necessary to verify that the Italian grandparent did not acquire any other foreign citizenship.

For additional information, please read the IMPORTANT section below.

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CASE D

The child does not currently possess, nor is eligible to acquire, any other citizenship (for example, by descent (jure sanguinis), by birth in the territory (jure soli), by option, or through any other legal mechanism).

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REQUIREMENTS FOR BIRTH REGISTRATION

To apply for the registration of a birth, ALL of the following requirements must be met:

• Residence within this Consulate General’s jurisdiction. At least one parent must reside in one of the following U.S. States: Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Wyoming.
• Italian citizenship and A.I.R.E. registration. At least one parent must be an Italian citizen registered with the Registry of Italians Residing Abroad (A.I.R.E.).
  Link: A.I.R.E. Registration – Consulate General of Italy in Chicago
• Previous marriages or divorces must be registered in Italy. Any previous marriages or divorces involving the Italian parent(s) must already have been registered in Italy.
  For further information, please refer to the following page:
  Link: Vital Records – Consulate General of Italy in Chicago
• If the parents are not married, or were not married at the time of the child’s birth, the following additional documentation must be submitted:
  • An Acknowledgment of Paternity (also known in some U.S. jurisdictions as a Certificate of Parentage), duly apostilled and accompanied by a complete Italian translation that faithfully reflects the original document.
  • In the United States, this document is typically completed and signed by unmarried parents at the hospital shortly after the child’s birth and is subsequently filed together with the birth record by the local vital records office. It can therefore usually be obtained from the same office that issues the child’s birth certificate.

• Current residential address. The residential address indicated on the application should correspond to the most recent address on file with the Consulate General. To verify the address currently recorded in the Consular database, please access your Fast It account.
  Link: Online Consular Services (Fast It)

  If your address has changed, please update your A.I.R.E. registration by following the instructions available here:
  Link: Change of Address – Change of Consular District – Repatriation – Consulate General of Italy in Chicago

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ACQUISITION OF ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP BY BENEFIT OF LAW

CASE E

Registration of Birth Certificates Following the Acquisition of Italian Citizenship by Benefit of Law (For minors born abroad whose parent is an Italian citizen by birth but who do not fall under Cases A, B, C, or D described above.)

Minor children born abroad to a parent who is an Italian citizen by birth, but who does not automatically transmit Italian citizenship, (i.e., children who do not fall under any of the circumstances described above for the recognition of Italian citizenship from birth jure sanguinis), may acquire Italian citizenship by benefit of law.

In these cases, since the child is not recognized as an Italian citizen from birth jure sanguinis, he or she will acquire Italian citizenship effective the day following the date on which all the legal requirements have been fulfilled, pursuant to Article 15 of Law No. 91/1992.

Requirements for the Acquisition of Italian Citizenship by Benefit of Law and Subsequent Registration of the Birth Certificate

To acquire Italian citizenship by benefit of law, all of the following requirements must be met:

• At least one parent must be an Italian citizen by birth (i.e., an Italian citizen jure sanguinis). Consequently, acquisition of citizenship by benefit of law does not apply where the Italian parent acquired citizenship through any other legal basis, including:
  • naturalization;
  • acquisition of Italian citizenship by benefit of law pursuant to Article 9 of Law No. 91/1992;
  • acquisition of Italian citizenship through marriage pursuant to Article 5 of Law No. 91/1992;
  • acquisition of citizenship juris communicatione pursuant to Article 14 of Law No. 91/1992.
• Both parents (including the foreign parent), or the child’s legal guardian, must submit a Declaration of Intent to Acquire Italian Citizenship within the mandatory deadline of three years from:
  • the child’s date of birth;
  • the date on which legal parentage with the Italian citizen is established; or
  • the date on which the adoption by an Italian citizen is finalized while the child is still a minor.
• If legal parentage is established at a later date by both parents, who are both Italian citizens by birth, the three-year period begins on the date of the first acknowledgment of parentage.
• If, instead, the child is first acknowledged by the foreign parent (or by a parent who acquired Italian citizenship through a legal basis other than birth), the three-year period begins on the date of acknowledgment by the second parent, who must be an Italian citizen by birth.
• Pursuant to the transitional provisions introduced by Law No. 26 of February 28, 2026, the three-year deadline (rather than the previous one-year deadline) may be extended until May 31, 2029. Please refer to the dedicated section at the end of this page for further information regarding this transitional provision.

Declaration of Intent and Required Documentation

The Declaration of Intent to Acquire Italian Citizenship must be made formally and in person before a delegated officer at the Consulate General of Italy in Chicago.

If the parents do not submit their declarations at the same time, the legal requirement is considered fulfilled only on the date the second parent’s declaration is received.

If legal parentage (including adoption) has been established with respect to only one parent (or if the other parent is deceased), only one parent’s declaration is required.

The child’s presence is not required.

Requirements for Submitting the Declaration of Intent

To proceed with the registration of the child’s birth, ALL of the following requirements must be met:

• Residence within this Consulate General’s jurisdiction. At least one parent must reside in one of the following U.S. States: Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Wyoming.
• Italian citizenship and A.I.R.E. registration. At least one parent must be an Italian citizen registered with the Registry of Italians Residing Abroad (A.I.R.E.).
  Link: A.I.R.E. Registration – Consulate General of Italy in Chicago
• Previous marriages or divorces must be registered in Italy. Any previous marriages or divorces involving the Italian parent(s) must already have been registered in Italy.
  For additional information, please refer to:
  Link: Vital Records – Consulate General of Italy in Chicago

• Current residential address. The address indicated in the application should correspond to the most recent address on file with the Consulate General. To verify the address currently recorded in the Consular database, please access your Fast It account.
  Link: Online Consular Services (Fast It)

  If your address has changed, please update your A.I.R.E. registration by following the instructions available here:
  Link: Change of Address – Change of Consular District – Repatriation – Consulate General of Italy in Chicago

The Declaration of Intent must be made in person at the Consulate General by appointment, after a preliminary review of the documentation submitted by mail to the following address:

Consulate General of Italy in Chicago
Vital Records Office
150 North Michigan Ave., Suite 1500
Chicago, IL 60601

Please note that this Office will schedule the appointment only after the documentation has been received by mail and reviewed. Do not book an appointment through the Prenot@mi platform.

Documentation to be Submitted by Mail

• Birth Registration Application (Download the form)
• A copy of the parents’ passports and, if available, the child’s passport.
• Proof of residence within this Consular jurisdiction (e.g. U.S. driver’s license, lease agreement, utility bill, tax return, or any other official document showing the applicant’s current address).
• For births that occurred in the United States: the original certified copy of the child’s Long Form (or Extended Form) birth certificate. The certificate must show the exact place of birth, the date of birth/age, and the places of birth of both parents, in accordance with the format issued by the individual U.S. State. The document must be apostilled and accompanied by a complete Italian translation.
• For births that occurred outside the United States: the original certified copy of the child’s birth certificate, duly legalized, together with a complete Italian translation, faithful to the original, also duly legalized. For information regarding legalization requirements, please refer to the website of the Italian Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the country where the birth certificate was issued.
• An Extract of the Marriage Record (Estratto per Riassunto dell’Atto di Matrimonio) issued by the Italian Municipality where the marriage has been registered.
• If the parents are not married, or were not married at the time of the child’s birth, the following additional documentation must be submitted:
  • An Acknowledgment of Paternity (also known in some U.S. jurisdictions as a Certificate of Parentage), duly apostilled and accompanied by a complete Italian translation that faithfully reflects the original document.
  • In the United States, this document is typically completed and signed by unmarried parents at the hospital shortly after the child’s birth and is subsequently filed together with the birth record by the local vital records office. It can therefore usually be obtained from the same office that issues the child’s birth certificate.

The 2026 Budget Law amended Article 9-bis of Law No. 91/1992, providing that Declarations of Intent submitted on or after January 1, 2026 are exempt from the €250 administrative fee.

Accordingly, only applications received by the Consulate General on or after January 1, 2026 are no longer subject to the payment of the €250 contribution (as is also the case under Case F).

For additional information, please read the IMPORTANT section below.

 

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CASE F

Transitional Provision for Minors Who Were Under the Age of 18 on May 24, 2025

Following the enactment of Law No. 26 of February 28, 2026, the deadline established by Article 1, paragraph 1-ter, of Decree-Law No. 36 of March 28, 2025 has been extended.

This provision amended the transitional rule that allows an exception to the general three-year deadline from the child’s birth, from the date legal parentage with an Italian citizen is established, or from the date on which an adoption by an Italian citizen is finalized while the child is still a minor.

Under the transitional provision, children who were minors on May 24, 2025, and who have at least one parent who is an Italian citizen jure sanguinis, may submit the Declaration of Intent to Acquire Italian Citizenship by Benefit of Law until May 31, 2029 (instead of the previous deadline of May 31, 2026), subject to the **same eligibility requirements and following the same procedure described under Case E.

Please note that, for applications received by the Consulate General on or after January 1, 2026, the €250 administrative fee is no longer required.